The construction of the SKA begins, the largest radio telescope in the world that will reveal the mysteries of the universe

A portrait of the first decades of life in the universe and the secrets of dark energy, which occupies more than 70%, but which remains a mystery, can be captured by the Ska Observatory, the largest radio telescope in the world. Also, she will try to listen for any traces of alien civilizations, no less.

This device that promises to change the origin story of the universe begins to be built with thousands of antennas in South Africa and African partner countries and thousands more antennas in Australia.

The estimated cost is 1,300 million dollars in the first phase alone.

The Ska Observatory “is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken so far and I am particularly proud to be able to say that this project is closely linked to Italy”, said Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research. That European country is also among those participating in the project.

An ambitious project

Since the start of global construction activities in July 2021, Ska has awarded more than 40 contracts worth more than $150 million. New contracts have now been announced for a total amount of 300 million euros. They refer to the construction of infrastructure in Australia and South Africa (200 million) and the production of medium and low frequency antennas (100 million).

The initial acquisition focused on software development, hiring professional services firms to help oversee build and bulk purchase of necessary components.

It is a story that began 30 years ago and has now finally come to a turning point.

Although it was initially designed as a giant telescope, in 2012 it was decided to split it into two instruments that would allow it to cover this frequency range: SKA-Mid, with 197 antennas that will extend over 150 km in the Karoo region of South Africa; and SKA-Low, with 131,000 masts in Murchison, Australia, where they will be divided into more than 500 groups of 256 antennas.

The goal is to have thousands of satellite dishes in South Africa and African partner countries and one million in Australia for a total collection area of ​​one square kilometre. By 2024 it should already have four satellite dishes in Australia and six antenna stations in South Africa operational.

SKA-Mind will also incorporate the Meer-KAT telescope, which not long ago left us with an impressive image of the center of our galaxy. Both places were chosen following technical-scientific criteria, such as the characteristics of the atmosphere. The headquarters is in the United Kingdom, reports the site xataka.

The first phase of the work should be completed by 2028 and it is expected that in the next 50 years astronomers and astrophysicists from all over the world will have access to the Ska Observatory to answer crucial questions on the first decades of the life of the Universe and study some of the most mysterious objects in astrophysics, such as black holes, the birth and evolution of galaxies, and the nature of dark energy that makes up over 70% of the universe.

It will also allow further tests of the theory of relativity and finally listening for any signals from extraterrestrial intelligences with the most powerful instrument capable of doing so.